picking it up habit

[u bada]

So now that I'm knee deep in neos I find myself almost every day staring and picking individual neos and basking in the glory of their characteristics.

For the record, as a plant collector of many years, I don't really do this with my other plants. Especially not the every day thing, and certainly not the picking up thing...

Ok, sitting back down now...

[Hakumin]

[bjmac]

I only have nine, but they are on our table so I check them out several times a day.

[Hakumin]

I have 80 and my grow stand is in my living room. Sometimes hours will go by just poring over them.

I also grow a few other non-neo variegated orchids, and I grow them with the same mindset as Neos. With any orchid, it's not just about flowers for me, it's about the plant as a whole, and I look at each characteristic of the plant individually. Growth habit, stature, color, blooms, variegation...I really only buy ones that I like in all these aspects.

[Shoreguy]

I'm retired now and sometimes the main reason for getting out of bed in the morning is to examine my orchids, mainly neos.

[u bada]

I'm not retired and my plants have always been one of my main reasons for getting out of bed! lol and I even work with plants professionally! (I mean running that rat race of making money, who needs the job to be the reason for anyone to get out of bed, imho lol)

To note, I have a lot of plants, all kinds, most orchids and I wouldn't mind looking at all of them every day... but some are in ugly plastic pots (can't repot them lest they fail again to flower another year), on ugly mounts, really young and awkward looking, or, because my conditions are so extreme, are not doing well in which case pains me to look at them... or in case of picking them up I can't get to them mounted or fixed in positions amongst other plants, like on the balc or in the terrariums... or like carnivorous plants you can't just pick up, trust me on that one.

But neos are so compact, adaptable in culture, and simple in potting method presentation (in kokedai anyway), I mean it's really something to have plants, besides say haworthias (a small succulent species you can grow indoors) or snake plants, that you can just have out in the open sitting on a table with moderate light and some watering here and there and they keep their vegetative features quite consistently throughout the year. It's amazing it took so long to really try them out.

But also I think there is just something aesthetically perfect about neos. I love refined things- design, art, etc., and japanese art in general reflects a refinement of qualities that to me are just perfect- the form of leaves, the roots, the simplicity yet intricate structure of the flowers, the presentation of the mound and pot... and the fact you just CAN pick them up to look and enjoy all those qualities, even with succulents not like you can enjoy their roots even if they're in a cute pot. Plus they look near aesthetically perfect even as little babies or young plants, so you can bring one home and bask immediately in their beauty! (as opposed to buying something else like a catt that'll look awkward as a plant and maybe not bloom for 4 years, lol)

Ok, this really just became a thread for me to unload how amazing I think neos are...

[Shoreguy]

Ubada,

You are preaching to the choir.

[Leafmite]

Why have plants if you are not going to enjoy their appearance? And why have attractive plants if you are not going to actually spend time enjoying them?